Ancient City Bulletin

Monthly Newsletter of the St. Augustine Genealogical Society

December 2016
St. Augustine Genealogical Society December 2016

Contents

The Presidents Line 3

New Years Resolutions 5
FTM End-of-Year Update 7
American Ancestors 12
Twinkle Lights 14
The Society Page 17
Research Notes 18
Society Services 19
Publishing Guidelines 20

Ancient City Bulletin by St. Augustine Genealogical Society is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171
Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.

2
St. Augustine Genealogical Society December 2016

The Presidents Line

Bob Burns

As my second year as your President nears its end, I am heartened by the

growing strength of our volunteer Board (Executive Committee), and I anticipate
a smooth transition to President-elect Bernie Patruno.
Being away this fall for family commitments, I havent been able to comment on
this succession. Bernie has been a consistent and tireless Board member for
many years and she knows a high percentage of the members of our Society.
She has brought up many valuable ideas and suggestions during my two years,
and has provided meaningful feedback from members in her role as
Communications Chair. Bernie has also worn the hat of Refreshment
Coordinator for a long time as well. I plan to provide as much support as she
needs or wants in my new role as Immediate Past President (IPP).
Speaking of the IPP, Dave Flemings is returning to the general membership, and
I want to personally thank him for his excellent ideas, advice and counsel during
my two-year term. He will be missed by all on the Board.
I want to congratulate the other elected Officers as well: Judy Parrino (1st VP-
Programs), Sue DiDomenico (2nd VP-Membership), Pat Tanner (Secretary), and
Neda Makin (Treasurer).
We did lose a true pioneer recently as our founder, Virginia Hassenflu, passed
away. We all honor her for her splendid life and what she created for all of us,
the St. Augustine Genealogical Society. I do genealogy to honor my ancestors,
understand how their lives meshed with history, and to leave a record for future
generations. Virginia played a major part in helping us accomplish our
individual goals and enjoy our social interactions.

3
St. Augustine Genealogical Society December 2016

Finally, I am looking forward to reconnecting with all of you at our Christmas

Party at noon on Dec. 10th at Amicis (deadline for reservations is Nov. 30th). I
hope you are looking forward to 2017 as I am. We have a lot of speakers,
activities and ideas in store. Enjoy the holiday season!

4
St. Augustine Genealogical Society December 2016

New Years Resolutions

Editoral Notes

The idea of having a "show and tell" meeting to kick off the new year is brilliant!
Not only does it give all of us a chance to share the stories of our ancestors
along with the research effort it took to find them, it is also an opportunity to
gather ideas from each other on how to present these stories in creative and
eye-catching ways.
Why is this important? While finding a census record or probate document is a
delight to genealogists, for many others . . . not so much. In order to get the rest
of our families interested in their history, we need to wow them first. My interest
was generated by stories - some true, some not - from older family members.
Old photos always fascinated us as kids. Many had stories connected to them
and we enjoyed creating our own stories for the mystery photos.
Today we have scanners and
smart phones that can
beautifully duplicate a
priceless document, letter or
photo to share with others.
The digital age offers a
number of affordable
options that can turn those
treasures into eye-catching
slideshows, books, works of
art and even movies. You
can find lots of inspiration
online at sites like Pinterest
and Etsy. This beautiful
family tree is from an Etsy store that offers to paint custom family trees. I may

5
St. Augustine Genealogical Society December 2016

not be able to draw a straight line, but I can photograph an interesting tree,
have it enlarged and printed, then layout my own family on it.
Want to learn more? Come see what other members have on display at the
Faire. Ask questions, take pictures and gather ideas that will work for you. Don't
wait for next year's Faire to show offer your creations. Put them where they can
help generate new genealogists in your own family.

6
St. Augustine Genealogical Society December 2016

FTM End-of-Year Update

Research Toolbox

This months edition of Research

Toolbox is focused on the latest news
from Family Tree Maker and what will
happen as the end of the year
approaches. This information comes
from the latest FTM newsletter.
As it gets closer to the end of 2016,
we're understandably hearing this
question a lot. That's because
Ancestry initially said they'd only
support FTM through the end of
December 2016. But that was last
year back in December 2015 when
they also announced the brand
wouldn't continue at all. All that changed 7 weeks later on February 2nd the
day Ancestry announced that they'd decided after all to sell this wonderful old
brand to us. And that together we would be building on what Ancestry had
started, including building a new sync technology together.
So relax. TreeSync is not ending at the stroke of midnight this December 31st.
And though it will be retired at some point, before that happens, there will be
new syncing technology available to replace it. It's already well into
development and we will be starting outside beta testing before the end of the
year. And that means syncing as we know it for FTM is going to live on into 2017
and beyond. So if you have been worried about what happens at the end of the

7
St. Augustine Genealogical Society December 2016

year, well you can just stop worrying. Syncing, Ancestry search, and shaky leaf
hints are all here to stay.
Software MacKiev is now happily supportIng all versions of Family Tree Maker
for both Mac and Windows, though Ancestry will continue to assist us through
the end of 2016 and beyond.

Where to Get Technical Support

Companion Guide.The first stop for learning how to use features of Family Tree
Maker is the Companion Guide which contains step by step instructions for
everything you might want to do. You can open the guide from the Help menu
while running Family Tree Maker.
Knowledge Base.We have hundreds of helpful articles posted on our support
site on a variety of topics that will be of interest to all users, and can help solve
problems. To get to the knowledge base, just go
tosupport.familytreemaker.com.
Support Requests.If you don't find what you need in the Knowledge Base
articles (atsupport.familytreemaker.com) just click the link for additional
support at the bottom of the page and you will see the Technical Support
request form. Typically we get back to you in 2 days or less.
Live Chat.When you file a Support Request (see above) between the hours
of9amand6pm EST, 7 days a week, you will have an option to have a live chat
with an experienced support agent. This can be very helpful for urgent issues or
those that require a discussion rather than a single email.
Facebook Group.There is an excellent unofficial but very active Facebook
group called Family Tree Maker Users which you might want to consider
joining. They have many very experienced users who are very generous with
sharing their time and wisdom to help other users solve issues.

8
St. Augustine Genealogical Society December 2016

For any users needing a replacement for FTM 2014 or Mac 3, we have set up a
completely automated online Replacement Center. Whether you've had a hard
drive crash, are moving to a new computer, or just need to reinstall FTM but
your activation code doesn't work anymore, you can use the Replacement
Center 24 hours a day to get a fresh copy. Here's how:

Getting a Replacement Download

1.Go tosupport.familytreemaker.com.
2.Click "for additional assistance" at the bottom of the page.
3.Click the Replacement Center tile.
The Replacement Center checks that you have a copy of FTM 2014 or Mac 3
registered with Ancestry and then provides you with a free fresh link by email.
You will also be given an option to purchase a backup disc for $10 or our new
natural wood USB backup drive for $14. Note that what you get will be a full
free-standing installer, so it won't be looking for your old copy, a disc, or
anything else.
You will also notice that the replacement copy installer doesn't ask you for an
activation code. That's because we don't use them. Why? Well, we don't like
them ourselves, so we decided a long time ago we weren't going to torment our
customers with them. Instead, we use this old-fashioned thing called the honor
system. It's been working pretty well for us for more than two decades now, so
don't expect us to be changing that any time soon.

What about that free update?

When we happily rescued FTM earlier this year, we set out to create free
updates that we could wholeheartedly recommend to all current users of FTM
2014 and Mac 3. That work is still in progress, but if you'd like to get your hands

9
St. Augustine Genealogical Society December 2016

on a copy and you're OK with a near-final build, then you can have one any
time. Even right now.
That's because a couple of months ago we started making the latest interim
builds of FTM 2014.1 and Mac 3.1 available for free from our Replacement
Center for any registered FTM 2014 or Mac 3 user. And since then, when anyone
has come to us with a serious issue that's fixed in the new editions, we have sent
them there to get a copy right away.
Why so cautious? Well, because this is a very complex product. And because we
feel an awesome responsibility in dealing with what often enough is literally
decades of a user's work. So we are taking the time to get it right - to ensure
that when we release final builds of Family Tree Maker 2014 and Mac 3 they're
as ready as they can be to meet that high standard.
So, should you get the latest build right now then? Well, it depends. The
improvements we're made are mostly in stability and performance. So if FTM is
crashing or has slowed to a crawl with large trees, then have at it. Same if the
waiting is driving you crazy, or you usually download interim updates anyway.
But if, like most users of FTM 2014 and Mac 3, your copy is working just fine,
and you like being conservative about installing updates, we still suggest waiting
for the final build. This is, after all, not a new version. It's a patch. That's why it's
free. And if you don't think you need it right away, then you probably don't.
Having said all that, by all accounts, the builds we have placed on the
Replacement Center are stable and safe to install. They have already been
downloaded by a few thousand FTM 2014 and Mac 3 users, and so far so
good. Most are reporting that crashes have all but disappeared and actions with
really large trees that previously took minutes, now take just a few seconds.
So if you prefer to wait, we'll notify you and everyone else on the mailing list as
soon as the final build is ready. But if you'd like to try out the latest build of FTM
2014.1 or Mac 3.1 right now, here's how:
1.Go tosupport.familytreemaker.com.

10
St. Augustine Genealogical Society December 2016

2.Click "for further assistance" at the bottom of the page.

3.Select the Replacement Center tile.
If you have questions for us, please first read our FAQ as we've tried to answer
the most common ones there. If you don't find the answer you are looking for
there, please send your question through our Feedback Form which you'll find
on our FTM Home Page (http://www.familytreemaker.com).

11
St. Augustine Genealogical Society December 2016

American Ancestors
In the Archives

American Ancestors (http://www.americanancestors.org/index.aspx) is the online

archive at the New England Historic Genealogical Society. It is the most-used
genealogical society website in the world. This archive provides access to more
than one billion records. Included in their collections are early American records
including England, New England, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia materials.
They also maintain the largest searchable collection of published genealogical
research journals and magazines.
A free Guest account gives web visitors access to a limited number of databases
and occasionally offers access to selected databases for a limited time. The free
databases include:

Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850

Worcester County, MA: Index to Probate Records, 1731-1881
Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati
Gloucester, MA: Burials in Gloucester Cemeteries
Social Security Death Index
Irish Immigrant Advertisements, 1831-1920
New York Wills, 1626-1836
Index of Revolutionary War Pensioners
Middlesex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1648-1871
Rhode Island Roots journal
Mass Historical Data Relating to Cities and Towns

12
St. Augustine Genealogical Society December 2016

American Jewish Historical Society - New England Archives: Jewish

Cemeteries in Massachusetts
Sharon, MA: Sharon Memorial Park Cemetery
Ware, MA Families, Genealogies of
Weymouth Revolutionary War Soldiers and Sailors
Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1881
Plymouth County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1686-1881
Worcester County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1731-1881
Suffolk County Court of Common Pleas - Index to Cases, 1756-1776
Norfolk County, MA: Index to Probate records, 1793-1900
Armenian Immigrant Births, Deaths and Marriages in Massachusetts -
1880-1915
Boston, MA: Taking Records, 1800
Family Tree Samplers
There are three levels of membership offering different services. The Individual
membership ($89.95/year) offers research benefits for one individual while the
Friend level ($150/year) includes discounts on consultations and research-for-hire
with a 15-minute complimentary consultation. The Associate level ($250/year)
includes the same discounts along with a 45-minute complimentary consultation.
Some of the Friend and Associate membership fees are tax deductible.
The society also publishes the Vita Brevis blog (http://vita-brevis.org) which is
available to all. It spotlights items from their collections, offers tips, announces
special offers and other useful information. If you are researching ancestors in
the New England region, this blog offers an good preview of what American
Ancestors has available.

13
St. Augustine Genealogical Society December 2016

Twinkle Lights
Denise Olson

One Christmas while I was still in the Air Force, I came home for what I expected
would be a quiet holiday.
There were no young children in the
family at that time so our custom was
to go to midnight mass at Trinity
Church on Christmas Eve then come
home and open our presents after the
service. That way we could all sleep in
on Christmas day.
Midnight mass had become such a
huge service at our church that on this
particular year they had decided to
also include a family service earlier in
the evening. We chose to attend the
early service and enjoyed one of the
most joyful celebrations of Christmas
wed ever experienced. The Episcopal Church on King Street
H. S. Wyllie
The normal procession was replaced with a
telling of the Christmas story frequently interrupted with everyone singing
appropriate carols. The first carol was Hark, the Herald Angels Sing and as the
congregation sang, the angels a small mob of pre-schoolers dressed as angels
marched down the aisle. Marching is what they were supposed to be doing,
but that was forgotten as soon as they saw mommy or daddy and had to wave
or say hi. Once they were all settled at the front of the church, the story
continued and the next carol brought a group of slightly older children dressed
as shepherds. More carols were sung as the oldest children performed the roles

14
St. Augustine Genealogical Society December 2016

of the major characters and the pageant was complete. The actual service then
began and the normal rituals were expedited somewhat as the children fidgeted
up front. At the appropriate point, they all marched out to change from their
costumes and have refreshments while the adults took communion. There was a
joyful reunion of parents and children in the churchyard after the service.
As we walked back to our car we noticed a small group of people across the
street chatting. One young man stood out because he wore a beret with holes
punched through the felt and a strand of small twinkle lights poked through the
holes. He had some source of power and was standing there casually twinkling
away. We all found this quite amusing.
Back home, we all relaxed around the tree and began opening gifts.
Christmas day was always full of visitors. Neighbors would drop by with gifts
usually delicious baked goods and we shared bags of citrus fruit from our
trees. Christmas dinner was a group effort and always a relaxed and enjoyable
experience. We found time to stop and visit whenever a neighbor or friend
dropped by. Our big meal was late afternoon and things were normally cleaned
and put away by sunset.
This particular Christmas evening, we were all semi-comatose in front of the
evening news when a car pulled into the driveway. It was several young adults
Mom had befriended she was always adopting strays including the young
man with the twinkle lights beret from the night before. Once everyone was
introduced and settled, he plugged himself in and was twinkling once again. It
was most festive! Twinkle Lights was actually quite articulate and an interesting
addition to the conversation. We were so engrossed that we didnt notice
another car pulling into the driveway until the occupants stepped onto the
porch. I looked up to see one of Moms friends with her husband and another
couple I didnt recognize. She was staring at Twinkle Lights through the glass
front door and I could see the shocked look on her face. Her expressions
showed she was considering a quick retreat. Fortunately, that didnt happen and

15
St. Augustine Genealogical Society December 2016

the group soon found Twinkle Lights and his friends as fun and fascinating as we
did.
Mom had a gift for bringing disparate groups together and this Christmas
evening was just another example. Although this was not a Big Christmas in
the sense of large family gatherings or large events, it was very special. Forty
years later the images of those little angels marching down the aisle and the
young man with the twinkling beret are still vivid memories.

16
St. Augustine Genealogical Society December 2016

The Society Page

Beginning with the January meeting, we are moving back to afternoon
meetings. For 2017 meetings will be held on the third Saturday, beginning at
1:00pm, at the Southeast Branch Library, 6670 US 1 South. This change will give
us extra time which we can use for special interest groups and other helpful
services.
The January 2017 meeting is scheduled for January 21st at 1:00pm. Our
members are the program with our Family History Faire! Members are
encouraged to share their past is a creative way. This could include showing off a
heritage photo album, presenting a beautiful family tree or spotlighting an
interesting ancestor. Other possible ideas are posted on Research Notes at the
members-only SAGS Support website. If you arent already subscribed to have it
delivered to your inbox, nows the time. Email your request to
sags.publications@yahoo.com and your invitation to join will be on its way.

17
St. Augustine Genealogical Society December 2016

Research Notes
The Southern California Genealogical Society has announced its schedule for
the 2016 Jamboree Extension Webinar Series. These webinars are open to
anyone at no charge, but you must register to attend. Visit the SCGS webinar
page for schedule and registration information. Registration is now open.

SCGS isnt the only source for useful webinars. Check out the online calendar of
GeneaWebinars, Hangouts and other online events at GeneaWebinars.com.

Learn more at the conference website (https://nfgenealogyconference.org). You

can also subscribe to the site - see the "Conference News Delivered" box in the
sidebar - and have the latest news items delivered to your inbox.

18
St. Augustine Genealogical Society December 2016

Society Services
The Research Help Desk supports our members with research assistance either
at meetings or via email. Members can complete a research help request form at
any meeting or email your request to Sue Gill at suecarl@aol.com. The Research
Committee will respond with suggestions on search options and sources.
Members with research experience are encouraged to volunteer on the Research
Committee.
There are a number of ways SAGS members can connect online. These include:

SAGS Online - The societys public web site and records archive.
SAGS Facebook Group - This is a public group and once you join, you can
set it to notify you when items are posted to the group. Its a great place to
share useful research resources, ask questions or share a success story.

SAGS Mailing List - The mailing list is used to keep members informed on
upcoming meetings, announcement and other activities. To join, send an
email message to SAGS-L-request@rootsweb.com with the word
subscribe in the subject line and in the message body. You will receive a
return message asking you to confirm your subscription. Follow the link
included in the message. Once you confirm you will receive a welcome
message providing instructions for using it.

SAGS Publications Library - This online library is open 24/7. Here you will
find current and past issues of the Ancient City Bulletin along with other
society publications.

SAGS Writers Group - This blog supports our writers group.

19
St. Augustine Genealogical Society December 2016

Publishing Guidelines
We accept articles related to genealogy, family history and research
methodology from our members for publication in the Ancient City Bulletin.
Submissions should be sent as an electronic file in either rich text format (.rtf) or
MS Word (.docx) format via email to sags.publications@gmail.com. Please keep
formatting to a minimum as the article will need to be styled to match the
Bulletins design. The article title should be on a separate line at the top of the
page with the authors name listed immediately below. Photos included as part
of the article are welcome, but please also send a copy of each photo as a
separate file. Captions are always welcome and please include the
photographers name for proper credit. Including a list of sources is also
encouraged.
Articles will be edited for grammar and style and any edits will be reviewed with
the author prior to publication.
The Ancient City Bulletin is licensed using the Creative Commons Attribution-
Noncommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Ownership of individual
articles remains with the author. Please note that if you prefer a different license
for your submission, include your licensing option at the end of your submitted
article. Learn more about your licensing options at Creative Commons.

20